


Apprentice (Stephen Strange/Reader)

by CastleAndMurdock



Series: Marvel Cinematic Universe x Reader [4]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, infinity war - Fandom
Genre: Crushes, Cute, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Love Confessions, Mysticism, Nervousness, Reader-Insert, Sanctum Sanctorum (Marvel), Scars, Teacher-Student Relationship, The thirst is real, Use of the term 'COCKY DOUCHEBAG'
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-05-01 15:04:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14523228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastleAndMurdock/pseuds/CastleAndMurdock
Summary: A crush on your teacher causes you to struggle with your training.Stephen Strange/Reader(Expanded into full series by request.)(Rating changed from T to M)





	Apprentice (Stephen Strange/Reader)

You were nearly there, so very close to total concentration. Your breathing was perfect, calm and even. You hadn't moved a single inch in almost thirty minutes, your posture was excellent; spine straight, legs crossed in front of you, locked in tight, your hands in position atop your knees. The energy was building and you could feel it, beginning in your chest as you focused it there, willing it to come out into reality. Everything your teacher had taught you was being utilized as you were about to cross into the realm of total, perfect concentration. Until, that is, you started to feel a tickling at your nose. You forced yourself to stay still, too much work had gone into this to have it be messed up now. This was a very important part of your training. You thought it had passed, and you would have nearly sighed with relief, until the tickling came back with a vengeance. As you began to lose focus you realized that a loud buzzing sound accompanied the tickling. You flinched your nose with a small jerk of your head. The fly, however, had other plans. It landed square on your nose and started rubbing its arms vigorously against your skin. You twitched your nose again, hoping the repulsive insect would go away, and it did, as your loud sneeze echoed throughout the halls of the Sanctum and sent it flying on its merry way. You heard a soft sigh coming from behind you. Footsteps could be heard slowly walking past you.

"I'm sorry..." you mumbled, as you slowly opened your eyes and the tall form of your teacher came into view. He looked disappointed, his sea green eyes squinted down at you. The open window to his back outlined him with the setting sun, a myriad of pinks and oranges shone around him, casting his face and body in a grim shadow.

"How are you ever going to break into total concentration if you let such small annoyances get the better of you?" he asked, arms crossed, eyebrow crooked upwards. He was awaiting your answer, although you didn't have a good one to give him. You had only been studying with Stephen Strange for the past three months. Most of the time was spent reading and re-reading book after book about the mystic arts and cosmic realms. It was only recently, within the last couple of days, that you began the actual work; heavy meditation that would grant you access to the innermost parts of your own self that would allow you to conjure the mystic arts themselves. Unfortunately, you hadn't really been able to get the hang of it.

"I did my best." you replied sheepishly, as you looked up at him with sad eyes. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for this after all..."

"You can do better." he scolded, thankfully he didn't use his mean voice. This time. He was only trying to encourage you, right? "I _know_ you can do better." Stephen sat down on the floor just in front of you, matching your sitting position. He reached out and took both of your hands, holding them in the space between the both of you, his arms resting against his knees, your arms resting against your knees. You gasped a bit, Stephen _never_ touched you. He didn't like for you to see his hands, you had quickly realized, and he especially didn't care for using them to touch you, assuming that you would be repulsed by them; the long red surgical scars along his fingers and the backs of his hands never quite went away, and Stephen was positive that they would scare you. But now, as his larger hands clasped around yours, the scars were the last thing on your mind. You were never repulsed by his hands, or scared even. The blush that crept up your cheeks could attest to that. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He then cleared his throat as a signal for you to begin concentrating too. Your eyes snapped shut, you took a deep breath and started over from scratch. You focused on the mystic energy, trying to rebuilt it after it was broken. Only, it was hard to focus with your heart racing in your chest, the blood pumping hard in your veins. If just a simple touch of his hands to yours could give you those reactions, you didn't even want to imagine what else his hands could do. You swallowed hard, heart still fluttering as you tried desperately to shift your focus away from Stephen, but you just couldn't ignore his powerful presence. "You aren't paying attention." he said suddenly, making you jump.

"I'm trying to." you assured him. Stephen sighed again and shook his head.

"Your focus is on something else."

"It isn't." you protested. "I was doing just fine, you interrupted me." Stephen chuckled softly.

"Your energy is all over the place, something is distracting you." he said, his thumbs brushed over your knuckles. "Focus." You took another deep breath and tried to forget that he was in front of you, if you ignored him, you could do it. The realm of total concentration was within your grasp, you just had to work for it. And you were getting there again, your mind had cleared, all thoughts had been banished away as you calmed back down and focused, just as you had been told. But then, as all was quiet, another sound snapped you back out. The soft sounds of Stephen's breathing, as quiet as it was, was suddenly loud in your ears as you focused on it instead. You sighed involuntarily, a weak sound, but loud enough to raise his attention. Stephen's eyes opened as his own concentration was broken.

"Okay, I'm distracted, I'm sorry." you admitted, as you opened your eyes too.

"We're in a perfectly quiet room, what could have possibly distracted you?" he asked, his fingertips pressed softly into your skin.

"Well..." you began, a slight shake in your voice. "You're a bit distracting, to be honest." Stephen looked at you oddly, cocking his head to the side.

"How am I a distraction?" he asked, as if he didn't know. You blushed deeper, unable to give him a clear answer. You were quite bad at giving him clear answers with your head so muddled up all the time. It wasn't _your_ fault.

"You're just..." You shifted your hands against his. "Very distracting."

"Oh." Stephen said, looking down as he quickly let go of you, letting his hands rest on top of his knees. "I see." You frowned, knowing you had accidentally upset him. You didn't want him to think it was because of the scars, but you just couldn't tell him the truth.

"I didn't mean in a bad way..." you whispered, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry." Apologizing to him had become a habit you had been trying, though failing, to break. You always seemed to say the wrong thing, or inadvertently did something that would cause a problem. You never did anything bad on purpose, but you managed it anyway. Misunderstandings are tricky things. 

"Please," he began. "Don't apologize. Not again." Stephen stood up and turned away from you. You looked back up at him, staring at his slumped shoulders as he gazed absentmindedly out the window. You had never seen him like this before. So sensitive. So...sad. Stephen was always so stoic, so self assured. _A cocky douchebag_ as you sometimes called him behind his back. This behavior was just, well, unusual and out of character. You sighed to yourself and got up, slowly approaching him.

"Master?" you said softly. Stephen shook his head.

"You don't actually have to call me that." he murmured. You hesitated for a few seconds, trying to come up with something to say.

"Stephen..." You put a hand on his back, the blue fabric he wore was soft under your skin. You half expected him to jump, but he stayed perfectly still. "I know you don't like for me to apologize, but... I'm really sorry that I'm no good at this. I know I'm more trouble than I'm worth."

"You aren't any trouble." he quickly interjected. "You should have been there during my first few months of training. It was nightmarish. However, my teacher was very patient. I am going to show you the same respect, patience, for as long as this takes."

"You really won't give up on me?" you asked quietly.

"I never would have agreed to train you if I had thought for even a second that you couldn't learn the craft." he replied. "Unfortunately for you, I had a much better teacher."

"You're a great teacher." you said almost immediately.

"I'm _distracting_." he said, repeating your words from moments earlier.

"That...has nothing to do with your teaching." you admitted. Stephen turned his head towards you.

"Then what did you mean?" he asked. You blushed again, thankful that the sunset in front of you masked the color in your face. You dropped your hand from his back, noticing that his shoulders slumped again once your touch was gone.

"You, well..." you trailed off, but then looked into his eyes, forcing yourself to just _say it_. "You have a really handsome face and sometimes I get distracted by it, okay?" Stephen simply stared back at you. He clearly was not expecting that answer. He clenched and unclenched his jaw as he turned his head back to face the sunset.

"That's...highly inappropriate for you to say. I'm your teacher." he said, making your stomach sink with rejection. "But, I will let it pass," He turned back to you, his typical cocky smile on his face, but this time it was different, almost seductive. " _Just this once_." he smiled. Stephen turned from you then, leaving you behind in the room as he left. The rejected feeling was slipping away as something much warmer and fluttery took its place.

**Author's Note:**

> Infinity War reminded me just how smoking hot BC is as Stephen Strange, so this is the result of that beautiful reminder because DAMN, heart eyes motherfucker.


End file.
